Archive for June, 2008

Coming up this weekend is the 2008 World Wide Knit in Public Day (WWKIP Day) on Saturday June 14th, and I’ve compiled a list of locations in the greater San Francisco Bay Area hosting this growing event.

Don’t Forget: Most events are being held outdoors, and it is looking like it will be a hot weekend, so be sure to bring water, hats, sunscreen, folding chairs, blankets, ice chest, snacks or lunch, etc. Most have free bathrooms nearby.

Bring what you’re working on as well as items you’ve finished so you can share your experience with it for other knitters or to give them ideas for good projects to try. If you forget to bring your knitting needles and current project, most stores are open with some giving discounts all day. Otherwise there is always finger knitting, which is a great way to get the little kids started as budding knitters. 🙂

I plan to go to the Berkeley event with my daughters because it is hosted by the Knit-One-One and Kim-Chi Crafts and is right by the Sweet Adeline bakeshop, so we plan to get something tasty to eat, too.

If you’re doing some online shopping in hope of finding some cool gifts for crafty types, then be sure to check out Kyle Design – 25 Years of Unique Affordable Gifts. We have gifts for those who enjoy knitting and crochet, sewing and embroidery, scrapbooking, painting and more. Just click the photos above to find out more about the Knitting flask (very popular with knitters! – “nip one, purl two”), Knitter Christmas ornament, Alternative Knitter key chain, Yarn Shop business card holder, Knitting Needle night light, or for easy instructions for kids on how to finger knit.

Just returned from the 2008 Sunset Magazine Celebration Weekend in Menlo Park, CA. It featured cooking demonstrations, gardening lectures, food samples, wine tasting, test gardens, crafts booths, gourmet food vendors, presentations on going green and on solar energy among many, many others. We parked at Sun Microsystems where they had shuttles available to take us down the road to the fair, and that definitely was the best way to handle parking – quick, easy, and you save $1 off the general admission fee of $12 for adults. On the table at left are plates and bowls from Branch that are made out of bamboo – lightweight, colorful and very appealing.

I went with my 12-year-old daughter and we had a great time. We watched a green home presentation and fashion show put on by ecofabulous.com that featured clothes and accessories made with organic cotton, bamboo, recycled or sustainable materials, and which are made with fair trade labor. Emilie Cowan, the director of business development at ecofabulous, showed us several new products that we can use in our homes that are more eco-friendly that will work just as well as more harmful products we’ve been used to using.

One shoe company featured in the fashion show creates cool, fashionable footwear using recycled materials. They will be working with famous shoe designer Vivienne Westwood to produce a new line of shoes this fall, and I am really looking forward to seeing that. I took my daughters to the Vivienne Westwood show at the de Young museum last year and we were all blown away by Westwood’s talent and creativity.

For the kids, there was flower lei making courtesy of Hawaiian Airlines (note that they provided 500,000 flowers on Saturday alone!), a rock wall for climbing and plenty of food samples. My 12-year old enjoyed booths that featured metal sculptures, bamboo bowls, lamps, pretty fabrics, papers, handbags and jewelry that caught her eye, as well as the chickens in the sample chicken coop in the Sunset test garden.

We attended a presentation by Flora Grubb of Flora Grubb Gardens of San Francisco about high style, low-water gardens who recommended a number of colorful, unique-looking plants that don’t require frequent watering, including leucadendrons, small aloes, upright grevilleas. They are perfect for our state of drought, because half the battle can be just remembering to water in the first place. The plants she brought to show us were much more forgiving for those of us who tend to forget to water. She quipped that “the plants that are pretty are the ones that are alive.”

We made cheese and basil pizzas at the Weber Grill booth where they were showing off their very stylish Weber Q-100 compact gas grills – which I’m thinking about getting for a Father’s Day gift or as a birthday gift for my husband. It cooked up the pizzas really fast and they tasted great! Dinner tends to run late in my household, so we are all for anything that can speed up meal preparation or cooking.

Robert Mondavi Winery had seminars throughout the weekend that features cooking demonstrations, wine education and tastings of their wines including some of their Private Selection wines. These seminars required a taste ticket, but were always packed.

There certainly was something for all ages, but slightly older kids would probably enjoy it more than the younger ones. I did not bring my 9 year old, which I think was a good choice. I heard whining by some young children who were not as interested in the cooking and gardening presentations as the older kids likely would be.

It was in the low 80’s, but there was a lot of shade from the very large trees as well as from the numerous tents and market umbrellas, so overall it was a gorgeous day. I would definitely recommend it to foodies, gardening enthusiasts, anyone going green and those who are environmentally conscious (as we all should be now).

The world’s largest diabetes conference started today in San Francisco, CA, with the American Diabetes Association‘s 68th Scientific Sessions. It is being held Friday, June 6th – Tuesday, June 10th at the S.F. Moscone Center where they are expecting 13,000 diabetes experts including scientists, physicians and other health care professionals from around the world. They will be discussing the latest in diabetes research, treatment and advances toward a cure, according to the ADA website. It is a conference / trade show and as such is not open to the public.

Rates of diabetes have been growing in recent years, with the disease affecting nearly 21 million children and adults in the United States alone. It contributes to the death of more than 220,000 individuals here in America, costing our nation upwards of $174 billion (yes, that’s with a “b”) annually.

The three most prevalent types of diabetes are Type 1 or juvenile diabetes, Type 2 or adult-onset diabetes and gestational diabetes which is a temporary condition that occurs during pregnancy. Of the three, rates of Type 2 diabetes, in particular, have reached epidemic levels over the last ten years, even though it is a preventable disease. The disease, which is often triggered by obesity, is affecting adults and even children, rather than just the elderly as had been the case in the past. Many of us now know many people of all ages who are diabetic. I personally know several different individuals who have each type of diabetes – those who’ve had it their whole lives, those who became diabetic as older adults, and kids who have just been diagnosed with the disease. By the way, the Awareness Ribbon color for Diabetes is a gray ribbon.

I recently was approached by a mother who lamented the fact that there were no attractive cases in which her daughter could store her diabetic supplies. As a result of her request, I have just introduced these sturdy metal travel cases that can hold insulin pens and extra pen needles supplies. These unique cases are an elegant way for diabetics to keep insulin supplies safe and secure. They are come in a sleek classic style or with your choice of nearly 300 cool designs, all available in either silver or gold finishes.

So I’m very happy to introduce my line of diabetic supply cases today. These cases are a wonderful product for juvenile diabetics who want to keep their insulin pen and supplies safe yet discreet as they go through their school day. The sturdy metal cases offer added protection if your student carries his or her supplies in a backpack or purse. Furthermore, the person’s name and phone number may be engraved on the case in the event the case is lost or stolen.

For a juvenile diabetic or anyone else who has to carry their insulin pen with them all the time, these cases work perfectly!

Kyle Design offers many other metal travel cases in a variety of designs and sizes that may accommodate other diabetic or medical supplies such as blood sugar monitors, lancets, test strips, and syringes. These affordable carrying cases can offer a safe yet attractive way to carry important, and often expensive, medical supplies and may be found on our Unique Travel Cases page. Visit Gray Ribbon Gifts for more gift ideas with awareness ribbons in gray.

I paused this week when I read of the death on Sunday of French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. The one piece of “designer clothing” I own is a fuchsia silk satin belt that I purchased from the YSL store when at the South Coast Plaza shopping center in Costa Mesa, CA about 18 years ago. The belt is about 2.5 inches wide and fits a 24″ waist, which I had at the time, and which was also difficult to find as I had to have most belts cut down to fit. I did not have such a small waist because I was a starving artist, but because I was naturally very thin, and my mother before me had an 18″ waist when she was younger, as well.

I always went to my local cobblers in downtown Hayward to have them adjust my belts and repair my shoes. (Such stores have long since disappeared with our throwaway society, so I don’t even know where I’d go now, if I still had that “problem” of a too tiny waist, but I don’t, so I’m not going to worry about it….)

The belt cost about $235 or about $250 out the door and was something I was in no way able to afford. I was in Los Angeles for the LA Gift Show where I was exhibiting at the related now-defunct Beckman’s Gift Show which was held each summer and winter at the Coliseum (hey, the Grand Sumo Tournament is going on there this weekend!) in Anaheim. I had finished setting up my booth early, so I had a little extra time to check out the famous South Coast Plaza shopping center.

I bought my YSL belt a couple of years before the Rodney King beating and the LA Riots, which started the end of April in 1992. So when I returned the summer show a couple of months after the riots, I had to drive through the trashed areas – Western and Figueroa streets seem to stick in my mind – and it was in sharp contrast to my visions of the beautiful, glamorous, elegant and very wealthy shopping experience I held in my mind each time I returned to the area. The devastation quickly reset my visions of LA for me.

Some background: I’ve always tried to create beautiful, affordable designer gifts and at that time I was making my living as an artist creating brilliantly-colored hand-painted silk jewelry. So finding a belt in silk and in my color was pretty amazing. When I first saw the belt I was smitten and stood there dreaming of owning it, yet sadly leaving the store without it. But I couldn’t get it out of my mind and ran back and bought it. Purchasing the belt was a complete extravagance on my part – as a struggling artist I had no business spending that on a belt, but I did it anyway!

I’ve heard it said that you should never tell people what they can or cannot afford, as everyone must decide for themselves what is most important, most desired, most needed, and that was certainly the case for me. I know that saleswomen never in a million years expected me to come back in and buy that belt.

But that was why Yves Saint Laurent was considered one of the greatest and most influential designers of the 20th century – he designed clothing and accessories that were so beautiful you could not resist.

Sure, I’ve had things I have regretted – not going to Ireland with the rest of my cousins and aunts to meet our relatives around that same time, for one – but I’ve never regretted buying the belt. It is beautiful. I wore it often. I love it. It still looks great. And I have daughters! One day, sweetheart, this belt will be yours.

This is a busy time of year for us here at Kyle Design – from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day, with graduations and retirements in between. For those of you looking for something truly nice yet affordable for the retirement of a special colleague, employee, coworker or staff member, we may have what you’re looking for.

Elegant Wooden Box – Among our most popular items for retiring professionals, whether teachers, lawyers, doctors, etc., are these beautiful wood boxes customized with design and background color accent of choice. They also may have a plate engraved and placed inside the lid inscribed with thanks for their hard work and contributions to the company. These boxes are a lovely coffee table accent destined to become a topic of conversation – the type of item the recipient will be proud to discuss (and will be happy for the opportunity to do so). Perfect size for keys, loose change, rings and jewelry as well. Pictured is the Education Themed Box, but these boxes may be ordered in one of nearly 300 images to suit every industry or interest by visiting our page Custom Wooden Boxes in Artistic Designs.

Engraved Bookmarks – A bookmark is a smaller yet useful gift that will be a constant reminder of those friends and coworkers who miss them. We have room for three lines of text, about 14 characters in each. An affordable choice when there are many people you’d like to acknowledge. A bookmark is a practical choice now that the retiring individual will have time to catch up on their reading. We show the Sunset Bookmark here, but it may be ordered in 100s of patterns – golf, knitting, cruise ship, professional symbols and more by clicking Engraved Personalized Bookmarks in Gold or Silver.

Celebration Ornaments – After retiring, do they plan to travel? If so, a tropical Palm Trees ornament is a wonderful way to send them off as they embark on a new phase of life. These celebration ornaments can be placed on a Christmas tree or in a window as a reminder that the gang at work is wishing them smooth sailing. A wonderful way to mark an important event or milestone in someone’s life. Again, we have many patterns and shapes, both in silver or gold, all of which may be engraved, so just visit Celebration Ornaments to see other styles.

Photo Wallets – Another good idea for someone who is about to retire is a wallet for holding photographs. These cases hold up to 12 photographs in a slim metal case that fits easily in a purse or pocket, or propped open on a desk. They make an especially nice gift when you include a group shot of the coworkers or former students who will be thinking of them. Or the individual receiving them can fill the case with a few of their travel photos to share when they come back to visit. Easily engraved on the back with plenty of room to thank them for their dedication and service through the years.

Second Career Business Card Holder – Perhaps this particular person is only retiring from one field in order to start a second career in another field they feel passionate about. We have these striking credit card wallets with clips inside for two sets of business cards (ones from the profession they are leaving along with cards for their new business). They also work great for those who hand out and collect many cards at one time – yours on side, those received on the other.

Kyle Design offers many other unique options to show appreciation to someone retiring on our Unique Retirement Gifts in Artistic Design page. We do all our own engraving in house and can quickly create your custom gift for fast shipping. We’ve been creating our special gifts for over 25 years, so if you’re looking for something special yet affordable from a reliable company, please be sure the check us out.

It’s noon, and I’ve just returned from voting at my local polling place: Fire Station No. 7 here in Livermore, CA. So, how many people cast votes ahead of me today? Not many, as I was voter #23. Yes, 23. As an artist, I remember numbers by relating them to my designs, so today, I was voter Tropical Fish. One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. OK, so now I get it. I never knew Dr. Seuss was so involved in state politics….

The weather was overcast and cool for a June day in California but not unpleasant so I chose to walk to my polling place, thereby minimizing my carbon footprint one step at a time.

Oddly, for the second trip to the polls in a row, the American flag outside the station blew over as I approached, so I once again replaced the flagpole in its stand, restoring the flag to its proud, upright position. At the same time I was experiencing a strong feeling of deja vu and thinking of the famous picture from Iwo Jima aw well. Is this significant in some way? I always vote and then wear my “I Voted” sticker to encourage others not to forget.

This was a second primary for us Californians with our first one being in February when we voted for our preferred presidential candidates. This time we had senate, state assembly, water board and constitutional amendments to consider – obviously nothing important with the excitement of the presidential election in November, emotions running high over eminent domain and rent control and the looming likelihood of drought.

Ha! Number 23!? With this low voter turnout, my votes are particularly powerful. Voting is a wonderful thing.

With Father’s Day just around the corner, I can help you find something cool with my 2008 Father’s Day Gift Guide. Many people are searching for something unique for a dad, husband, brother or son, and I have compiled a list of 12 unusual gifts. Because Kyle Design can customize all of our gift items with 100s of designs, a choice of colors and your preference between silver and gold, your gift for a special dad can be one-of-a-kind. Just click on any of the photos below to order.

1. Tools Pill Box – Know a handyman dad who enjoys doing things around the house but ends up with a few aches and pains for his efforts? (It’s not as easy as it once was, is it?) This Construction Tools pill box is the perfect place to store some pills for pain relief. Or maybe this red tool box is the only size he’ll really use.

2. New Father Gift Idea: Airplane Night Light – Looking for a new father gift idea for a man who is an aviation buff or who enjoys flying his own plane? How about an Airplane night light to help guide his way down the hall at night to care for a crying baby. Helps calm older kids, too. We have decorative night lights in over 100 designs, so whatever his interests, you can find the perfect night light.

3. Old Father Gift: Fire Eyeglasses Case – OK, older father ( should #2 above be a newer dad?) – Know a dad who’s getting a little older who now has to wear reading glasses? Are those eyeglasses getting sat upon one too many times? The solution? A crushproof eyeglass case will protect those glasses from any more damage and look good at the same time. And just because your husband’s older now, doesn’t mean you don’t think he’s still hot.

4. Stop Looking Glasses Holders for Men – We also have some very simple eyeglass leashes in black anodized aluminum that work for men – perfect for the dad who keeps misplacing his glasses or who never has them when he needs them. Because who can see to find what they’re looking for in the first place without their glasses? Lightweight, too.

5. Mountain Biking Key Chain – Know a dad who likes cycling? Or one who wants to get back in shape? How about a mountain biking themed key chain to offer a gentle reminder to exercise and enjoy that fresh air and sunshine. Yes, you could take the car, but maybe, this time you could take your bike….

6. More Traditional Dad: Perhaps just a classic engraved business card case would be just the thing your dad would appreciate. Not too flashy, just understated, with his name engraved on the front and a warm father’s day greeting engraved on the back, or even a secret message inside the lid. Kyle Design offers a variety of choices – thin, thick, polished, brushed, silver, gold, solid brass and black. (And that’s just for the plain ones – we have so many decorative ones, too!)

7. Less Traditional Dad – Maybe the dad you had in mind is a husband or brother who is a little edgier and would appreciate an alternative type of Father’s Day gift such as a Pirate Money Clip. Let him know you appreciate the fun-loving side of him, too. Now he can be as wild and crazy with that mad money as he wants to be.

8. Cigar Smoking Dad – Know a dad who’s smokin’? Or one who enjoys a good cigar now and then? Check out our custom cigar travel cases. The ones shown here feature a stock market design and a rooster design, but again, we have a lot to chose from. Plus, you get to pick his favorite color in the background. Just like that, you have a gift that shows you really care (as long as he smokes outside….)

9. Golf Playing Father – Know a working dad who would rather be out on the links playing golf? We have these fun ID Name Badge Holders with golf clubs that he can wear while at work. All work and no play makes dad a dull boy, so encourage him to get out there on the greens so he can “work” on his stroke.

10. Baseball Playing Dad – How about a dad who enjoys playing ball? Those players often like chewing their gum out there on the ball field, but don’t like all the prickly, grassy things that can get stuck in a piece of gum if left unprotected in a pocket. So we have the Baseball Chewing Gum Case for storing a pack of gum. Much more appetizing – so you can concentrate on the game and not what’s in you gum. Great for toothpicks, too.

11. Music-Loving Pops – Is it time to get the dad in your life an iPod? Or does he already have one, but just needs some help keeping it all together? We have travel cases in a variety of shapes and sizes for iPods and the ear buds on our page of Cool iPod Cases.

12. Fatherhood Fireworks Celebration Flask – Celebrate Father’s Day with dad in style when you use a cool stainless steel hip flask. Share all those funny stories (well, maybe they weren’t funny at the time), or reminisce about all the good times he’s had being a dad. Or perhaps he can just enjoy thinking about the fireworks that got him in this position in the first place. 😉

It’s not too late! Now is a perfect time to get an affordable yet distinctive gift for the special father in your life. And just because we customize all our gifts doesn’t mean you have to wait a long time for them. We normally ship within 1 to 2 days, and even try to ship air packages the same business day.

Shopping at the last minute? Kyle Design offers fast service and air shipping for those of you who have lucked out at the mall and still want to let dad know how much you care. (Just mention that your item is a Father’s Day Gift when checking out and select air shipping, and we will try to send your gift the same day – time allowing.) So be sure to check out our full selection of Unique Father’s Day Gifts. Dad always took good care of you – now we can help you take good care of him.